The Hatchling
The Hatchling is the seventh book in the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series. Description :Beneath a shadowed moon in a cloud-streaked sky, the sacred orb splits and a hatchling is born: It is Nyroc, son of Kludd, fallen leader of the Pure Ones, and his evil mate, Nyra. Born from evil, trained to evil, Nyroc is destined to fulfill his father's terrible plan, the oppression of all owldom under the vicious talons of the Pure Ones. :But doubt grows in Nyroc's heart, fed by strange forbidden legends of a great tree far away where noble owls live in peace. And a light dawns in Nyroc's gizzard, nourished by friendship. :A day is nearing when Nyroc must chose to fulfill his destiny - or to defy it. :It will be a day of blood and terror. Eyecatcher NyrocandGwyndor.jpg|''"The young’un was seeing something. The old Rogue smith could tell by the way Nyroc’s eyes stared, unblinking, into the gizzard of this fire. Gwyndor studied the reflection of the flames in Nyroc’s eyes. He felt his own gizzard give a twang. Was it the Ember of Hoole he saw reflected in those young eyes?"'' Chapters Prologue # A Perfect Son # A Reprimand # The Marking # First Prey # What Does This Young‘un See? # Murder with a Cute Name # Hammer and Tongs! # Facts of Life and Death # Burrowing Owls to the Rescue # One Wing Beat at a Time # Free Will # Blood in the Flames # Negotiating with Crows # The Chase Begins # Phillip‘s Story # A Speck in the Sky # Pieces of Me! # Shredded # It Hurts # Away # A Fallen Tree # The Riddle of the Forest # A New World # A Terrible Beauty # A Legend of Coals # The Spirit Woods # Dire Wolves : Plot The canyons of St. Aegolius Acamedy for Orphaned Owls have become the home of the Pure Ones. Nyroc, son of Nyra and the deceased former Pure Ones leader, Kludd, is a superb flier and hunter. He was born on the night of an eclipse, and like his mother, his face is unusually large and white, even for a Barn Owl. Nyra is training him to take Kludd's place as the High Tyto. Nyroc is friends with Dustytuft, a low-ranking Greater Sooty Owl. It's unusual that Dustytuft was chosen to be Nyroc's friend, and was present at the time of his hatching. Nyra, Nyroc, Dustytuft, some selected Pure Ones, and a rogue smith named Gwyndor go to Kludd's final ceremony, where his bones will be burned. Nyra tells Nyroc that his uncle Soren killed Kludd. As the bones burn, Gwyndor watches Nyroc, who is staring at the flames instead of the bones. Nyroc sees creatures in it - strange, tall four-legged creatures being chased by smaller ones, with an image of an ember as well as a Great Gray Owl killing his father. Gwyndor sees the reflections in Nyroc's eyes, and realizes that he has firesight. Gwyndor suggests to Nyra that Nyroc should become his "apprentice". Nyra objects at first, but agrees when she is told the benefits of Nyroc being a skilled smith and being the High Tyto. When Nyroc is alone with Th e mashed owl, Gwyndor tells him that he has firesight. Nyra, meanwhile, has been telling Nyroc that his "Special Ceremony" or "Tupsi" is coming up and that he must be prepared. Nyroc remembers the Great Gray Owl in the fire of Kludd's Final Ceremony, and realizes that Nyra lied to him - Soren didn't kill his father, but the Great Gray did. He tells Dustytuft, and they escape from the Pure Ones. Dustytuft tells Nyroc about his past, and that his real name was either Edgar or Phillip. Nyroc asks which name he prefers, and Dustytuft replies that he prefers Phillip. Nyroc decides to call him Phillip instead of Dustytuft. The pair have been refuging in old burrows of foxes and burrowing owls. Nyroc starts to molt and he panics, thinking that he is losing his feathers alltogether. Phillip tells him that he's just molting, and that the feathers will grow back. They soon realize that they are being tracked by the best tracker in the owl kingdoms, Doc Finebeak, and the Pure Ones, who have realized that they are missing. The two decide on burying both their molted feathers and pellets, before sweeping away their tracks with lichen. However, they are soon being chased, and are forced into the twisters, which is a storm of winds powerful enough to tear an owl's wings off. They are both caught when they are swept out of it. Meanwhile, Gwyndor, hearing of Nyroc's special ceremony, goes to the Rogue Simth of Sliverveil and asks her what his ceremony is about. She is shocked, and tells him what it is. Gwyndor races back to the Pure Ones to warn Nyroc, but his special ceremony has already begun. Nyroc is shocked when Phillip is tied to a tree, realizing that his special ceremony means killing someone dear to him, in this case Phillip. He is angry at Nyra, thinking that it would have been an animal, or even Smutty, a Lesser Sooty Owl prisoner. Nyra says that would be too easy, and Phillip shrieks at him to fly away. When Nyroc refuses to kill him, Nyra tears her talon across Nyroc's face, scarring him. She then breaks Phillip's neck and rips out his heart. Nyroc screams that he hates her, and flees. Nyroc, distraught at Phillip's death, is being haunted by his father's scroom. He is also being mistaken to be Nyra because of his new scar, thus many owls flee at the sight of him. Nyroc begins hunting in the day and sleeping at night to avoid other owls. Soon, he encounters a rabbit who can read messages in spider webs. He asks the rabbit many questions, which he doesn't have all the answers to. But the rabbit tells him that he must go to the Beyond the Beyond, a vast, barren place of Dire Wolves and the legendary Ember of Hoole. They both say goodbye and part ways. Characters *Nyroc *Phillip *Nyra *Gwyndor *Kludd *Uglamore *Stryker *The Rogue Smith of Silverviel *Doc Finebeak *Soren *Twilight *Rabbit *Smutty Trivia *If you join the cover art of this book with the next book, you get a bigger picture formed by the covers. Gallery Covers jp cover 7.jpg|Japanese cover fr cover 7.jpg|French cover ru cover 7.jpg|Russian cover De Cover 07.jpg|German Cover L7 o filhote.jpg|Brazilian cover Chinese_hatchling.jpg|Chinese cover Category:Books Category:Guardians of Ga'hoole Books